Kvitova Rolls Into Sydney Final; Americans Reach Hobart Semis

January 15, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Petra_Kvitova_Crop
Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Petra Kvitova exacted some revenge on Thursday as the world number four from the Czech Republic beat Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the Sydney International final.

Pironkova had defeated Kvitova at this exact stage last year on her way to the championship, but this time around Kvitova proved to be too much for the qualifier.

“I’m glad that revenge went well today and I have the chance to be in the final here in Sydney,” said Kvitova. “I think that I played better today than last year against her. I am glad I played how I need to play: aggressively, going forward, attacking the ball early, and just playing my game.”

Pironkova looked to get things going early on. She broke Kvitova in the opening game of the match only to see that break advantage go away after Kvitova broke right back to even the score.

The next nine games of the opening set would consist of holds as each player put their serve on display. With Kvitova leading 6-5 on Pironkova’s serve, the Czech came through with another break point to close out the set 7-5.

As tightly-contested as the first set was, the second frame was just the opposite. Kvitova broke early in the second set and controlled the match from there. She added another break to go up 5-1, and finished the match symbolically with a powerful ace down the middle to wrap up the 7-5, 6-1 victory.

The win puts her into the final where she will take on rising star Karolina Pliskova, who is competing in her first premier-level final. Pliskova made quick work of fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in just 55 minutes.

Pliskova won points on 30 of her 31 first serves including converting all of them in the second set. She did not allow Kerber a single break point opportunity throughout the whole match.

Her win sets up an all-Czech WTA final for the first time since the Hobart International in 2009.

“I saw Petra, she’s playing really good this week,” said Pliskova of her title match opponent and fellow Czech. “She had also a few good matches. Also in Shenzhen she won some matches. So it would be tough to play her. I played her once, and like I said, she’s never losing with Czech girls.”

Kvitova is 34-8 all-time against her compatriots, but knows playing Pliskova will be a tough battle.

“She is playing really risky, going for the winners. That’s what I will do tomorrow as well,” said Kvitova. “She was a part of our team in Fed Cup in the final. It’s always difficult to play a Czech girl. I’m just glad that she’s doing so well. I’m just really looking forward for the final. I hope it’s going to be a very nice final.”

About 650 miles south of Sydney, the semifinals are all set at the Hobart International in Hobart, Australia. Two of the tournament’s top seeds were eliminated in the quarterfinals Thursday as two Americans find themselves in the final four.

Alison Riske, the eighth-seed, knocked off second-seeded Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-0. After seeing a 3-0 first set lead slip away, Riske won nine straight games from 3-3 in the first set to blitz past Diyas in just over an hour.

Riske will take on Britain’s Heather Watson in the semis. Watson, who beat Sloane Stephens earlier in the tournament, ran through ninth-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci 7-6, 6-2 to push into the final four.

“It took me awhile to figure it out today—I almost lost that first set—but then I started to feel comfortable on the court and really started to loosen up,” said Watson. “I trusted my game and didn’t revert to just trying to make balls how I used to play.”

The other semifinal will put American qualifier Madison Brengle against Japan’s Kurumi Nara.

Brengle came back from a first-set deficit to upend Italy’s Karin Knapp 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4, while Nara took out third-seeded Italian Camila Giorgi 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
USTA NTC
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